New Coins Celebrate 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Dylan Thomas

The Treasury of Alderney has launched three new coins which celebrate the centenary of the birth of writer and poet Dylan Thomas (1914 – 1953). Popular both in his homeland of Wales and internationally, Dylan Thomas’ works have been performed and enjoyed for decades, and include the ‘play for voices’ Under Milk Wood, the haunting poem Do not go gentle into that goodnight and the popular tale A Child’s Christmas in Wales.

Meaning ‘son of the waves’, Dylan’s name originates from the Welsh mythical ‘Mabinogion’ tales, and there could be no more fitting a name for the tempestuous character. Thomas was born in Swansea, Wales, in 1914, and although an undistinguished pupil, he left school at 16, becoming a journalist for a short time. While many of his works appeared in print while he was still a teenager, it was the publication of “Light breaks where no sun shines”, in 1934, that caught the attention of the literary world. Although Thomas was appreciated as a popular poet in his lifetime, he found earning a living as a writer difficult, which resulted in his augmenting his income with reading tours and broadcasts. His radio recordings for the BBC during the latter half of the 1940s brought him to the public’s attention and he was used by the Corporation as a populist voice of the literary scene. Thomas traveled to America, where his readings brought him a level of fame. His time in America cemented Thomas’ legend, where he recorded to vinyl A Child’s Christmas in Wales. During his fourth trip to New York in 1953, Thomas became gravely ill and fell into a coma from which he did not recover. He died on the 9th November 1953 and his body was returned to Wales where he was buried at the village churchyard in Laugharne.

The coin is struck by the Royal Mint on behalf of the Treasury of Alderney and is designed by senior Royal Mint engraver Lee R. Jones who has captured his true persona with the instantly recognizable three quarter facing portrait of Dylan complete with his wild hair and wide eyes. Other touches, such as the ferns that recall the well-known poem Fern Hill which are delicately detailed on both sides of the portrait. His name “DYLAN THOMAS” is boldly positioned just above the portrait with the years of his birth and death on each side along the upper rim. The obverse side includes an effigy of HM Queen Elizabeth II as created by Ian Rank-Broadley and in use on British, British Isles and some commonwealth nations coinage since 1998.

Denomination

Metal

Weight

Diameter

Quality

Mintage

Five Pounds

.925 silver

28 grams

38.6 mm.

Proof

1500 pieces

Five Pounds

Cupro-nickel

28 grams

38.6 mm.

BU

unlimited

One Pound

.999 gold

1.2 grams

13.9 mm.

Proof

1000 pieces

These commemorative coins have been created in collaboration with Hannah Ellis, Dylan’s granddaughter. An information booklet provided with each coin reveals delightful insights into Dylan’s life and works.

For more information on this and other coins issued by the Treasury of Alderney, please visit this section of the Royal Mint website. Information offered in English, international orders dispatched.

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Comments

While the coin is certainly very attractive with many intricate details captured by the designer however I would like understand your view on future value of coins issued by Alderney, Cooks Island, Niue & other British territories. Even while the mintage of this coin is very limited only 1,500 pieces ( only 300 more than coins issued by Bank of Greece earlier during the year i.e. Aristotle / Euripides ) is it likely to be as popular with collectors?

I’m often asked about this very question – do the newer issues, especially from somewhat obscure countries have any real collector / investment potential… and for the most part its like the proverbial piece of string question. We have to remember what makes anything desirable or with potential collector appeal.

With regard to the comparison for instance between the coins of Greece and that of Alderney, I think many collectors would agree that there is often an element of familiarity or connection to the country’s coins they collect and in the case of Greece, there are perhaps more Greeks living outside Greece these days than those still there. In Alderney’s case – not so much so 🙂

The link to the coins of ancient Greece and our hobby & activity today can also be a factor in “collector appeal” where Greece and Italy for that matter are concerned. I myself am a collector of both older and modern coins, I enjoy the history and legacy which is represented by each coin and much of my interest is European as I have stronger or lesser connections to many countries on the continent. I know for a fact that many of the coins produced by the Greek State Mint more often than not find themselves headed for addresses in the US, Canada and Australia – more so than to domestic destinations and the coins do sell out quite quickly – aside from the fact that certainly since the adoption of the Euro – the Bank of Greece have been issuing some very well designed pieces! This in itself contribute to the desirability of modern Greek coins or any country’s numismatic offerings with similar circumstances such as Ireland, though their mintages tend to be higher.

However – why are the modern coins of Monaco so sought after? There is a frenzy to acquire the recent silver crowns with people standing in line to purchase the latest issue – only to place this coin on e-bay hours later and as it were “turn a profit” sometimes doubling their money until it becomes clear that there is a glut of them on-line and… the coin’s design isn’t as appealing as say, their last crown. This was clearly the situation with Monaco’s 2011 €10 wedding coin and their 2012 €10 coin issued for the anniversary of Monegasque coinage. One coin trades for $300 upwards while the other is now available for slightly less of its initial issue price if you persevere.

The appeal or potential value of newer or modern coins might be explained by two elements and again, Alderney is a good example. The channel Island embarked not too long ago in a series of “Great Britons” portrayed on silver crowns which for the most part, received a lukewarm reception from collectors – that is until an image of John Lennon was included in the series – a choice which was I believe, chosen by a poll of Royal Mint customers. This is one example where I can say the coin is a little more difficult to find due to its “collectability”.

The demand for this silver coin also shot up even more when the sale of a unique gold example (my office publicised the sale of the gold john Lennon crown) came up for auction to benefit a children’s hospital in Liverpool which ended up fetching over $100,000. Not every modern coin will have this kind of publicity but in the case of this crown, it helped the series immensely.

So, perhaps its the two, subject/design and quantity which might make one new modern – albeit obscure country’s coins stand out more than others. Mintages also contribute but if there is simply no interest in the coin due to either design or subject, it makes little difference if there are 500 or 5000. This is the reality of many Mints who today are under pressure to turn a profit whereas years ago, they were state supported and sales mattered less. Its why we are also seeing greater quantities of obscure client countries who just a few years ago issued either few or no coins at all and are now prolific issuers of numismatic items which does not correlate to their miniscule populations, culture, language or even history.

I’d love to hear from our readers on the subject, what makes one coin more desirable than another, especially in our times when there is no shortage of coins, issuers or producers.

I strongly believe that coins issued by obscure mints are worthless & probably with very less numismatic value. For that matter when ever I come across coins from a certain country which has no real association to that country I always feel strange about such coins…it might be unique way at looking at it however certain mints convey a lot about their history, culture , geography & achievements. e.g. in last four years kremnica has issued 4, 20 euro coins on conversation areas with in the country starting from Tarnava, Trencin, Kosice & finally Dubnik conveying so much about the country & its history. Similarly I also like numismatic products from Czech Mint & Lithuanian Mint equally very interesting because they remain true to their identity. Recent issues from Lithuanian Mint in particular be it Christening of Samogitia, 400 years of the map of Grand Duchy of Lithuania or the very recent issue of 500 years of Battle of Orsha were fantastic products.

What is your view on numismatic products from Czech & Lithuanian Mint ?

I am a great admirer of the works which both country’s Mints produce though I must admit I have collected considerably less from the Czech Mint since they have favoured a 200 Koruna coin of choice more since the split between the Czech and Slovak federation than the previous 500 Koruna crowns. However, as they are now issuing this denomination again and more frequently, I will be including Czech coins more often.

I see the Czech Mint also produces coins for client countries – I may lessen this information in the future.

As far as the Lithuanian coins, I have followed alot of their coin issues and to be honest, if you weren’t familiar with past Lithuanian history before you added their coins to your collection, you will be with just a bit of background research and to me, this is what coins do best! Keep your eye on this Mint, they will I’m sure – be issuing farewell Litas and welcome Euro coins to mark their entry into the Euro-zone in January 2015.

Well , while some coins are only beautiful however some coins are intriguing , I prefer later as it becomes tangible reason to learn more about some facts , events et al ….it is my way to keep day to day stress away & learn and develop interest in different areas. I’m thankful to such miniature works of art & design for shaping my interests & thoughts and giving me more than adequate impetus to explore others subjects.

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